


You Took Everything From Me

by ghost_maiden_of_delphi



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Gay Character, Canon Trans Character, Gen, Post-Canon, The Adventure Zone: Balance, not gonna lie, this was cathartic for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 10:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17682068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_maiden_of_delphi/pseuds/ghost_maiden_of_delphi
Summary: After the Day of Story and Song, the Starblaster crew needed a way to stay in touch amid their busy lives: a standing dinner reservation that whoever was free would show up to. But what happens when one of the more volatile pairings makes it to dinner?Warning: Spoilers for The Adventure Zone: Balance (Episodes 1-69)





	You Took Everything From Me

**Author's Note:**

> I spent a lot of time thinking about this relationship after I finished Balance, and always wondered how it would play out in the context of what happened. Here's my take.

One of the more difficult things after the Day of Story and Song, as it turned out, had nothing to do with rebuilding the world, or fixing the planes. It was making time, among those things, for the former crew of the Starblaster to see each other, and continue the friendships that had been all they knew for more than a century.

Between Davenport’s travels, Lucretia’s philanthropy, Lup and Barry’s new job wrangling wayward souls, and the successful business ventures of the Tres Horny Boys, getting all of them together for even a single evening of activity was as difficult as, say, organizing a large group of friends with disparate schedules to participate in a regular role playing game session.

So, as a compromise, they made a regular, monthly, dinner reservation in a private dining room at hottest restaurant in Neverwinter, Fantastique, for seven people to have dinner at sundown. The reservation would always stand, as-is, and whoever was free to show up, would.

The first time the reservation came around, all of them attended. Lup and Barry got Kravitz to cover their shift, which freed Taako up. Davenport pulled his ship into Neverwinter harbor. Merle left Mavis in charge of the guild (which she basically was anyway, so it was a purely ceremonial action). Magnus left food out for the dogs and gave them enough cuddles to tide them over until his return. And, finally, Lucretia tore herself from her work at the Bureau of Restoration so that they could all participate in the first bit of free time they’d had together in longer than anyone could remember. It was a wonderful night, and the perfect start to what promised to be a lovely tradition.

The next week Lup and Barry couldn’t show up.

The week after, Lup was there, but Taako and Davenport were out.

Sometimes just two of them would make it, often creating unusual situations, like Barry and Merle having to make conversation for the first time in maybe ever.

Sometimes no one would come, and the table would stay empty all night.

A few particularly sad times just one of them would arrive, and have to decide if it was more embarrassing to eat alone, or leave when it became clear that nobody else would make it.

On one occasion, near the end of spring, a not long after Kerry and Killian’s wedding, just Lup and Taako showed up for the reservation. This was no loss, an excuse for a brother-sister outing that they sorely needed in their busy schedules.

They had sat on opposite ends of the table, lounging on multiple seats.

“So,” Taako said loudly so his sister could hear him across the table, “Where is our dear Barold this evening?”

“Some necromancer in the south,” she replied, sipping dark wine from each of the two glasses she was holding, “He thought it would be an easy get, but the jerk can teleport, I guess, and now he’s chasing that loser all over Faerun.”

Taako laughed, “Classic Barold.”

“So how’s the school? Ren’s Awesome Academy of Spells or whatever it’s called.”

“Taako’s Amazing School of Magic, thanks, it’s great. One student turned another into a flamingo today.”

“And that’s…good?”

“I mean, the spell worked, right? I think we can call that a win.”

“And Kravitz?”

“Well, we-”

There was a bustle beyond the curtain into the rest of the restaurant which suddenly parted as an out-of breath Lucretia burst into the dining room. She was still in her director’s robes, and sweat was beading on her forehead.

“Sorry, sorry,” she panted, “I was all set to go and there was a crisis with a lumber delivery.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “It doesn’t matter, Killian’s handling it. Sorry I’m late.”

“Well now,” Taako smirked, “I don’t know if we ever set any hard rules, but the reservation was for sundown, sharp…”

“And,” Lup continued, “It is ten minutes past sharp…”

“Oh,” Lucretia said, “I…Y-you’re right, I’m so sorry, I’ll-”

Lup chuckled, “Don’t worry, hun, we were just kidding.”

“Maybe you were.”

“Come on, bro,” Lup admonished, “I think we can make room. Sit, sweetheart, have a drink.”

Lucretia sheepishly took a seat at one of the empty chairs, halfway between the twins. A waiter came by and took her drink order, and the trio sat in silence for a few minutes.

“So,” Lup finally said, “How goes the whole rebuilding the world business?”

“Oh, uh, very well. We’ve pretty much finished rebuilding what the Hunger destroyed, and we’ve been working with Lord Artemis Sterling on improving the infrastructure around the Sword Coast. Expand the railroad to service more towns, paving the streets in rural areas, just doing what we can to make life better for the people out there.”

“Well,” Lup smiled, “That must be a great feeling, being a part of that.”

“It really is.”

“Yeah,” Taako remarked, “Really makes up for that whole ‘almost destroyed the world’ thing, doesn’t it.”

Lucretia looked at her lap. Lup glared daggers at her brother over her glass. He shrugged.

“Just a bad joke, honey, no harm intended” he said, “We’re all very proud.”

Lucretia looked up and gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Taako, that…that means a lot.”

Awkward silence enveloped the dining room again.

“I think,” Taako said, “I’m going to make my way to the ol’ latrine before the food comes. If you’ll excuse me ladies.”

Taako darted out, the curtain swishing behind him.

“Sorry about him,” Lup said, “He’s still…processing some things.”

Lucretia sighed. “I don’t understand. I’ve worked so hard to fix everything. The others forgave me, Magnus, Davenport, Merle…”

“To be fair,” Lup quipped, “Merle may not totally have understood what was going on.”

Lucretia smiled. “Perhaps. But you forgave me. You understood why I did what I felt I had to. Why can’t Taako?”

Lup pursed her lips, “When Taako and I were young, we learned the hard way that we couldn’t rely on anyone else. Everyone, no matter what, would let us down eventually. All we had was each other. It took the better part of a century, and sweet, sweet Barry bluejeans to help me break that habit. Taako…made a lot of progress. Even more when he was palling around with Merle and Magnus. But you have to remember, sweetheart, that every time our trust is betrayed we go back, in our minds, to that time as two kids, alone on the road, us against the whole world. Deep down that’s who we’ll always be.”

Lucretia stared into her wine.

“I’m trying to understand. I am.”

“I know, Lucy, I know.”

Taako reentered the room, brushing his hands on his long, silken tunic.

“Don’t go in there, right? What’s going on my dudes?”

The food came shortly after, and they managed to chat amiably while they ate.

Once the plates were clear, and more wine had been drunk, they had gotten comfortable enough to talk more animatedly.

“I’m being serious,” Lucretia insisted, “The best meal I ever had was the-the crab things we found in cycle, what was it? Forty-seven, I think? You two baked them with butter and garlic?”

“Right, right.” Taako recalled, “With the eight claws that Magnus tried to fight. What did you call them, Lulu?”

“It was octo-crabs.”

“I think it was octo-crabs.”

“I still dream about that dinner,” Lucretia said, “One hundred years, a hundred planes, and I don’t think I ever ate better than I did on the Starblaster.”

“Two best chefs in the planarverse, baby.” Lup bragged.

“I mean, that was probably the biggest adjustment after, um, after I…”

“Erased our memories and ruined a hundred years worth of friendships?” Taako sniped.

Lup side-eyed Taako.

“Were you going to say something else?” Taako asked.

Everyone got quiet.

“Oh,” Lup exclaimed, “Stupid me, I think I left the front door unlocked. I’m just going to head outside and far speech my neighbor, have her check it out.”

“What?” Taako asked, “It’ll be fine, Lulu.”

“No, I, uh, don’t want the cat to get out.”

“You don’t have a cat.”

“I’m cat-sitting for a neighbor.” He stared at her. “A different neighbor. Anyway, back in a flash.”

She hurried out of the dining room, leaving Lucretia and Taako in silence.

Lucretia picked at the remnants of food on her plate. Taako sipped his wine.

Lucretia muttered something.

“What was that, bubeluh?”

Lucretia sighed, “I said I know that you don’t care much for me, Taako, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to keep taking shots at me.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. I think I’ve at least earned the courtesy of you being civil with me.”

“Let me ask you something Lucretia, how many sister’s did the voidfish erase from your memory? Was it more than one? ‘Cause, for me, it was one.”

“Taako…”

“No, you tell me, what have I done to you that evens us out? In what possible sequence of events are you and I ‘cool?’”

“But everything worked out!” She exclaimed. “She was with you all along. We got everyone back. We stopped the Hunger. Everything I worked for came to fruition. It was worth it, Taako. You have to see that.”

“See, there’s my fucking first problem. Everything ‘you’ worked for? Just you? We were a team, Lucretia. Friends. For me, we were the only seven people in the whole goddamn world. We kept each other safe, we kept each other in check, but, oh no, you knew better. Better than me, and Dav, and Barry. Better than Lup. You were the fuckin’ Director, right? The rest of us plebs were just in the way of your grand plan, right?”

“No, Taako, I just-”

“And what if we’d died out in the world while you were saving it? What would you have done? Hell, you thought Magnus bought the big one in Wonderland, but you just kept driving forward with your stupid bubble thing or whatever. It didn’t matter. No one, no one else’s plans, no one else’s opinions, no one else’s lives. Just you.”

“You can’t think I wasn’t devastated, Taako, but the stakes were too high. And I suffered too. I was alone, all those years I searched for the relics. No friends, no family, no back-up. I was all alone.”

“You were alone,” Taako barked, “The second you decided you knew better than the rest of us. The second you turned against us. That was your doing, Lucretia. You had the best friends in the multiverse and you fed them to the voidfish. You did it to yourself. And at least you had the memories.”

“I thought it would be kinder,” she spat, “That you didn’t know what you were missing.”

“Didn’t know?!” He screeched. “I was alone in the world! Empty, but I didn’t know why. Missing something, but I could never tell what. I couldn’t even look for her, Lucretia, and god knows you weren’t. You took fucking everything from me, Lucretia. There’s no bubble to protect you from that now. No grand task. You took everything from me and left me with nothing and you had no way to know if you could ever bring it back. That was the reward for my trust. For a hundred years of companionship, that’s what I got.”

Lucretia blinked tears out of her eyes. She didn’t know if he was right. If she never intended to put them back the way they were, or if she simply never thought that far ahead. She didn’t know which was worse.

“Taako,” she choked, a tear rolling down her cheek, “You…you have to know how sorry I am.”

“How?” He huffed, “You never apologized.”

That hung between them for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Taako.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry. For everything I did. For betraying you. For making you forget Lup. For…for ruining what we had.”

“And?”

“And…I was…impulsive. Too blinded by what was happening to see things clearly. I was proud, Taako, and you suffered for it. I’m so, so sorry.”

He sipped his wine. “I forgive you.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“Yeah. I know you had good reasons. I know you did the best you could. I forgive you. You are forgiven.”

Lucretia was stunned. “J-just like that? That’s it? We…we’re friends again?”

“Oh, hell no.” Her face dropped. “I can understand what you did, and why. And, in the end, I guess everything worked out, but we are not friends. No, I…We had one of the closest bonds people can have, Lucretia, and you violated all of it and threw it away. No, I can’t trust you. Not ever again.”

“So then…what does this mean?”

“I can give you what you asked for. I can be civil. I can even be nice. I mean, the way things are with Lup and the others, it would be sort of inconvenient not to be. But that’s it. We don’t chat. We don’t hang out or dish the goss. The next time one of us shows up to this dinner, and just the other one is there, we’ll turn around and go home. Capische?”

“I…I can understand that.”

“Good.”

It was a tense few minutes before Lup returned. They decided to pass on dessert and call it a night.

Taako headed out immediately, hugging Lup and bidding Lucretia a terse farewell before Dimension Door-ing right the fuck out of there.

Lucretia was outside the restaurant along the street, waiting for the Bureau sphere to descend. Lup approached her, buttoning a cloak over her dress.

“So, I heard all of it.”

“I see.”

“It was quite the speech, wasn’t it?”

“I…yes. He wasn’t wrong.”

“No, he wasn’t. But neither were you. Kinda sucks when that happens, huh? Are you okay?”

“I think so. It was too much to expect that I could do what I did without consequences.”

“Sure, I mean, obviously. But you had your reasons. We made mistakes too.”

“Will he ever come around?”

“Hard to say, hun, I’ve never pissed him off that bad. This isn’t quite the same as putting salt in the sugar bowl, or stealing a boyfriend, is it? But you never know. There was still a lot…unsaid where you and Taako are concerned. In the heat of it all, you got to say your peace, but there was never time for him to. That gets to you. Burns you up from the inside. Maybe you’re better off thinking about today as an opportunity to start building something between you again. You’re good at that. Rebuilding. Maybe it’ll never happen, but, hey, at the very least you know tomorrow’ll be better than today, right?”

And it was. True to his word, Taako and Lucretia weren’t friends, but the barbs, the insults, they all stopped. She no longer needed to dread the time she spent around him, and he no longer seemed so tense whenever she walked into the room. After awhile, ‘civil’ turned into ‘tolerable,’ which eventually made way for ‘nice.’

It was never perfect, certainly never back to the way it was, once, worlds away, but there was the chance now. A slim one, but still there.

This was the world they built. The ending they earned.

And, now, they had time.

They had time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I tried to keep things open, the possibility of forgiveness still there. I worry I don;t give enough credit to Lucretia, but I suppose that was kind of the point. This wasn't just about her.


End file.
